COLUMN: Look out for each other

Wednesday night’s abduction and rape of a CMU student by 30-year-old Eric Lee Ramsey opens our eyes to many aspects of life here. But above all, it proves this: safety is a relative concept.

Make no mistake, there are sick and twisted people among us. This issue isn’t about politics.

Violent minds exist just as religious, creative and peaceful minds do. That is the scariest kind of mind to encounter and, sadly, someone from our CMU family was victimized by it.

This incident had nothing to do with gun control or any legislation. This was about a troubled, violent mind morphed by previous convictions and time in prison. Since Ramsey didn’t know the victim, that tells us that Ramsey just wanted to satisfy his dark and violent mind, however hidden from friends and family it was during his lifetime.

Comments from people who knew him on his Facebook page suggest that he didn’t appear to be as dark and violent as he was in the final hours of his life.

As far as we know, Eric Lee Ramsey’s last words to the world were “Well folkes im about to get shot. Peace,” his last status update on his Facebook profile.

Legislation like gun control, mental health and politics don’t stop people like Ramsey. When has it?

We are long overdue in making a conscious, deliberate and overwhelming effort to defeat those who try to prey on us.

How about a student group dedicated to escorting people at night? If there are student groups dedicated to passing out condoms to strangers, why not groups that have the back of others walking around campus? The police, usually, can only investigate a crime once it has happened. In the case of the victim, that was not enough.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the saying goes. In a mass email from CMU President George Ross regarding the abduction, he said, “Please know that the events of yesterday were a horrible, but isolated incident. Police assure us that history shows CMU has a very safe campus and violent crime here is rare.”

No, sir. One incident, especially of that nature, is far too prevalent.

Let’s not leave other Chippewas alone, especially at night. You never know which parked car might have an armed felon sitting inside, looking for potential targets walking past.

Hell, prison and parole didn’t stop Ramsey or change him. This was his true nature. Whatever caused his hate and anger drove him, and we can’t legislate against hate and anger.

Ramsey made a conscious decision to abduct, rape and attempt to take the life of another human being.

Think about that.

An education is, of course, valuable and worth the tuition. We’re here aren’t we? By putting ourselves on campus, there’s one inherent responsibility that should be our biggest priority.